Warehouse automation survey: Levels and total cost of ownership (TCO) concerns are on the rise

The results of our annual automation survey are in, and while the spend level finding isn’t in overdrive mode like last year, this year we found higher “in use” levels across many of the automation, robotics, software and equipment categories our survey examines.

Companies also are putting a high priority on system maintenance and uptime to help meet tougher service levels amid continued labor availability challenges. The heightened concern we found last year around service parts availability declined in importance, while issues like total cost of ownership (TCO) and service response time gained.

Overall, this year’s findings point to operations becoming more automated, with some significant plans for future investments, and a strong emphasis on having systems and services that operations can count on to fill orders faster and more efficiently.

Modern Materials Handling’s “2023 Automation Solutions Study” was in the field during November 2022 and garnered 150 usable responses from professionals involved in materials handling and fulfillment operations.

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